Hullo there, There can only be one topic for us to take a look at this month. Almost everyone's been touched in some way or other by the foot-and-mouth outbreak. You've only got to look at the Farmers' Forum message board to see it's a topic that's set the county talking.....

Tell me this, what other industry except agriculture would permit all and sundry to walk "willy-nilly" over their industrial site?

The answer is that no industrial business would ever consider, leave alone permit, that to happen, so let us look at the possible implications of the restrictions now in place regarding Foot and Mouth.

No one doubts the beauty of the Moor but a little consideration now could mean a great deal later

Industry would be concerned about safety, thats a priority, industrial espionage, that's a possibility, and the disruption of the production process, due to the presence of persons unconnected with the manufacturing process.

Agriculture is different. So many people like to watch the activities going on in the rural area. Whether it's the birth of calves, lambs or even a chicken hatching from an egg, in general people stand well back and let these natural processes continue unheeded. Just watch and marvel.

Walking a dog is a pleasant pastime but it could also be a killer at the moment. (Library picture)

The public footpath network across the countryside brings people enjoying leisure pursuits into close contact with those involved in the agricultural industry. This can be the stockman tending his cattle, the tractor driver involved with the use of complicated machinery or the rural craftsman doing what has been done for generations, hedging, ditching, coppicing, the list is endless.

The use of footpaths has been built up from the old Church paths and paths of convenience. When the countryside was used purely by the countryfolk themselves, these routes developed. However, since the beginning of the last century, the countryside has increasingly become an area where people have sought recreation, exercise and freedom away from the hub-bub of city life.

Turn another page of Tony's Dartmoor Diary